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A renewed and bi-partisan push to eliminate the state ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment began on May 9 with the introduction of Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 15 by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) and the companion bill, House Joint Resolution (HJR) 43 by Congressman Rob Andrews.

Broken Bones- Part I

Towering over me and yelling at the top of his lungs, Antonio, my 6 foot 4, 280-pound muscled life partner, had me pinned against the wall, his huge, clammy left hand now grasping my neck. I couldn’t move!

All the while, the following thoughts flashed in my head: “This can’t be happening! How can the man who’s repeatedly professed his undying love be doing this to me? How can he hurt me this way? How??”

And then, Antonio…

One of the blessings of writing a regular column for Baltimore OUTloudover the past ten years has been the opportunity to witness and report on the myriad events – good and bad – that shaped the continuing progress of LGBT rights. It has been an eye-opening ride, and I am happy to have chronicled the movement over the years, having missed only three issues during that time.

By profession I am an engineer. I look at complex systems and analyze them and figure out ways to make them better or solve a problem. Contrary to what some may think, I am not a “professional” activist. I’ve never earned a dime doing the work that I do trying to move trans rights forward. I never looked at it that way. The notion that you could make money while doing such a thing seems a bit foreign to me. But that’s not the case with many others.